Visa Information

Skilled Visa

Independent migrants

Independent migrants are selected on the basis of their education, skills and work experience, and their potential to contribute quickly to the Australian economy. They are not sponsored by an employer or relative in Australia. This group forms the largest contingent of skilled migrants each year.

Skilled - Australian sponsored

Skilled - Australian Sponsored category migrants are selected on the basis of their skills, age, English-language ability and family relationship. They must be sponsored by a relative already living in Australia.

Employer nomination

The Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS) allows Australian employers to recruit, on a permanent basis, 'highly skilled' positions with non-Australian citizens, where they have been unable to fill a vacancy from the Australian labour market or through their own training programs.

Skilled Regional Visas

The Skilled–Independent Regional (Provisional) (SIR) visa is for skilled people who wish to live and work in a regional or low population growth area in Australia.

Business Visas

Business Skills migration

The Business Skills program encourages successful business people to settle permanently in Australia and develop new business opportunities.

Family Visas

Family Stream categories

Family Stream migrants are selected on the basis of their family relationship with their sponsor in Australia; there is no test for skills or language ability as for Skilled Stream migrants. The Family Stream component of the Migration Program consists of four main categories:

Partner

• Spouse: the husband, wife or de facto partner of the Australian sponsor;

• Prospective Marriage: a fiancé(e) overseas who plans to marry their Australian sponsor in Australia.

• Interdependent Partner: a person in an interdependent relationship with an Australian partner involving a mutual commitment to a shared life together.

Child

• Dependent child: the natural, adopted or stepchild of the Australian sponsor;

• Adopted child: a child adopted overseas; and

• Orphan relative: an unmarried child under 18 at the time of application who cannot be cared for by either parent.

Parent

A person who meets the balance of family test and is sponsored by their child, who is an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen. However, only aged parents can be granted a visa when applying within Australia. An aged parent is one who is old enough to be granted an Australian age pension. For male applicants the qualifying age for the Australian age pension is 65. For female applicants the qualifying age is gradually being increased from 60 to 65 (to 30 June 2003 the qualifying age is 62).

Other family

• Aged Dependent Relative: single, widowed, divorced or formally separated person who is dependent on an Australian relative;

• Remaining Relative: a person who has no close family ties outside Australia and is the brother, sister, child or step equivalent of an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen; and

• Carer: a person willing and able to give substantial, continuing assistance to an Australian relative or member of their family who has a medical condition that impairs their ability to attend to the practical aspects of daily life. The need for assistance must be likely to continue for at least two years.

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Visa Information | General Information